Revisiting the Archaeobotany of Prehistoric Crete

This article provides a new archaeobotanical synthesis for prehistoric Crete. It brings together all the published plant records from Neolithic and Bronze Age sites across the island, as well as unpublished archaeobotanical information for nine other prehistoric sites: Aposelemi, Chalepa, Mesorachi, Mesorachi Akri, Sopata, Chryssi, Chalasmenos, Juktas, and Alonaki. Following a previous synthesis in 2013, the records were compiled into a single database and the data synthesized according to plant type (cereals, legumes, fruits and nuts, oily plant taxa/condiments, and other wild/herbaceous plant taxa). The results of this synthesis are presented in comparison with those from the earlier one in order to highlight both consistent and new trends evident in recorded plant data over the previous decade. The comparison shows that the number of archaeobotanical records for prehistoric Crete has doubled in the last 10 years, augmenting plant data for certain cultural periods (such as Postpalatial) and types of contexts (such as ritual). This synthesis also reviews the methodological practices and lines of research associated with the new records, providing an up-to-date account of the archaeobotanical discipline. Overall, this synthesis acts as a current and comprehensive base reference point for both archaeologists and archaeobotanists studying prehistoric Crete.